Just a old race bike

Sorry I don nott have a bike for you. but I can offer a bit of advice though.  Do NOT ride any old bike that is "around 56".  You may do more damage to yourself than it will be worth.  Go to a bike shop and try out the vaious bikes offered.  Any knowledgeable bike store staffer will be able to tell you what size bike you will need.  You will not get a full "fitting" for free but you can at least have your inseam measured, which will give you a ballpark figure for bike size.  Most bike stores will allow you to ride one of their bikes on rollers in the store set up specifically for that purpose.  Here also, a good bike store staffer will tell you know if the cockpit is comfortably set up for you or if you need to shorten/lengthen the stem.  Then, you can look for a second hand "clunker" but one that fits you. 

Thanks Machiavelo! As I said I am an absolute newbie to triathlons and the tips you offered will definately help me. I will head down to the local bike shop today or tomorrow and get fitted. Thanks again!

Your story sounds similar to mine about 5 months ago. So, I'll offer some of what I've learned.

Do some research on bike fitting. There is a ton of stuff out there. For starters, check out:
http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO
http://www.coloradocyclist.com/bikefit/

For locating a bike, here are some things to try:
#1 - Look for a bike with downtube shifters. They work fine and almost nobody wants them so they go cheap.

Look on ebay. You can search for "complete road bikes" within x miles of a zip code. You should also be able to contact the seller and get in a test ride before the auction ends. You should be able to find something < $200 for a good old road bike.

Find a road cycling club in your area. Look online as they will usually have a forum as well. Post that you are looking for an old road bike and you may get some hits.

If you or someone you know works for a sizable company, post a WTB on their forum. Many people have these '90s bikes in their garage that haven't been ridden for many years that are in great condidtion.

Check out the used bikes at the local bike shop. I really don't know what your thinking about spending, but this is a bit more than the others, but you will get a well-tuned bike.

In my search, I found 3 bikes I would have been real happy with, and I ended up with two. Bike 1 was given to me and it is now my wife's bike. It was a little small for me, but with seat post and stem adjustments, I made it fit fine. It was a '89 - '91 Centurion 12 speed with Shimano SIS components. The other bike (my bike) I got is a '87 Schwinn 12 speed with full Shimano 105 groupo. I absolutely love this bike and I got it from a co-worker for $40. It fits me perfect. The bike I didn't get was an aluminum early '90s Schwinn 564 14 speed. This one was from a local bike club and the guy was asking $100 for it.

I did find a few bikes on ebay and even test rode a few, but I found that you can't get a good bike for < $100 on ebay and that was my price point, since I had no idea as to if I would keep with it.

Also, take your time. The stationary bike will be fine for training. I probably did 90% of my training for my first tri on one and I exceeded my expectations during the bike leg.

Again, thanks to everyone so far. It is great to have such a helpful community!

http://charlotte.craigslist.org/bik/


Craigslist is pretty good for tracking down stuff like this. Try posting a want ad and see if anyone emails you with a bike. I had a few offers when i was looking for a beater/commuter bike up here in MN.

And there's plenty of reading on the subject:

http://www.wrenchscience.com/WS1/default.asp
Check out the link on the right for sizing info on this page (although it's for road).

And of course the slowtwitch guys have info on it.
http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/techctr/bikefit.html


bts

Edited by Brett 2005-09-26 12:00 PM

Why wait til May? The MAP is in March and is hella fun in Charlotte, you have to sign up fast though because it fills quickly.

As for bikes, in Charlotte check out Ultimate Bikes in Pineville and Bicycle Sport on Selwyn behind Park Rd. Shopping center, they usually have some trade-ins and sometimes they have something cheap (around 3-400$, sorry dont know your price range).

Depending on where you're located in Charlotte, there is a triathlon club in south charlotte that meets fairly regularly I think, http://www.southcharlottetriclub.com/pages/1/index.htm is their web address.

Also, try placing a WTB ad on the CTTC ( http://www.charlottetrackandtriclub.org/) they usually have people getting rid of older bikes as well.

Happy hunting and have fun next year.

Edited by joscon 2005-09-27 6:20 PM

I'm in the process of checking out all of the sites you all mentioned. Nothing yet, but definately great starting points. THANKS!!!!!!!!!! KEEP EM COMING!!